As the Hitlist heads to the Great White, er, warm North for a week filled with screenings, press conferences, dinners and the most aggressive homeless people outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, here are five key questions to keep in mind as reports from the Toronto International Film Festival start filing in across the media landscape:

1. Can any movie get an Oscar bump out of the festival this year?

Seems unlikely. Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning have been generating interest for their performances in "The Secret Life of Bees," Kristin Scott Thomas is getting raves for "I've Loved You So Long," and Greg Kinnear is looking to gain some traction for "Flash of Genius." But, with major contenders such as "Milk," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Doubt," "Frost/Nixon" and "Revolutionary Road" holding their cards for later in the season, this may be the least Academy Awards-friendly edition of the fest in years.

2. Are the stars coming to town?

Well, George Clooney may have skipped out, but Brad Pitt is expected to show for "Burn After Reading"; Charlize Theron will walk "The Burning Plain"; Rachel Weisz will accompany Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody, aka "The Brothers Bloom"; Viggo Mortensen will saddle up for "Appaloosa"; Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges will go from Comic-Con to Toronto for Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla"; Zac Efron will proudly present "Me and Orson Welles"; Michael Cera is one half of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"; Anne Hathaway finds "Rachel Getting Married"; Kate Beckinsale learns "Nothing But the Truth"; Canada native Rachel McAdams discovers she's one of "The Lucky Ones"; and "The Secret Life of Bees" won't hide its lovely cast of Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Latifah and Fanning. Oh, and yes, John McCain's favorite celebrity, Paris Hilton, should be in the house for "Paris, Not France."

3. Is this the gayest Toronto ever?

Granted, this festival has had its share of prominent gay-themed movies, such as "Brokeback Mountain" and "Boys Don't Cry," over the years, but 2008 may take the cake. This year, gay characters have prominent roles in a spattering of mainstream films, including "Nick and Norah's," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and "RocknRolla," as well as "Pedro," the biopic of pioneering "The Real World" cast member Pedro Zamora. Plus, it's a key talking point in Bill Maher's very funny and sure to be controversial documentary "Religulous," as well as the Swedish drama "Patrik, Age 1.5 ." And those are just the movies that have screened early for critics. The Hitlist certainly isn't complaining, but this diversity would have been just as welcome last year.

4. Which of these three movies will eventually hit theaters: "The Wrestler," "Me and Orson Welles" or "The Burning Plain"?

Probably all three, but the one most audiences will find in their local theaters is "Orson Welles," because it features the "non-musical" debut of Efron. Richard Linklater's period comedy will get serious Hollywood interest because the bankable Efron is in the leading role, and the director has delivered previously with films like "Before Sunrise" and "The School of Rock." Mickey Rourke's comeback may occur with "The Wrestler," but no one is expecting more than a limited release for Darren Aronofsky's latest, no matter how stellar the reviews are. The same can be said for the serious and challenging "Burning Plain." Early word out of Venice has been mixed, so screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut will need serious critical love to help it land a prominent U.S. distributor.

5. Is there a movie everyone is buzzing about this year?

There is now. Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" got raves after its debut at the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day weekend and is now ready to screen for the tough international press. Nobody handles a publicity campaign for a feel-good indie like Fox Searchlight, and, if the buzz is to believed, it appears the studio may have another "Juno" or "Once" on its hands.

Look for daily reports from this year's Toronto International Film Festival on MSN Movies.